Trader Joe's Cream Brulee

As I am writing this entry, I actually ate the brulee few weeks ago after I bought it from Trader Joe's, so I don't remember the exact taste.

However, even though it was not "awesome", it was "good" for a dessert after dinner.

Trader Joe's Creme Brulee

Here is a inside look for the actual Brulee:

Trader Joe's Creme Brulee 2

My Chihuahua Loves U-Shape Maternity Pillow

My Chihuahua loves to sleep in the U-shaped Maternity Pillow meant for mothers to use to feed the babies.

I think they like the enclosed cuddly feeling of it just like blankets.  My little chihuahua also likes to use pillows.  Sometimes, they are like humans.....

My chihuahua in U-shape maternity pillow

Tim Horton's Smile Cookie or No Smile Cookie?

Tim Horton's has this promotion about "Smile Cookies" in September.  If a customer buys the cookie, a portion of the sale goes to the city's local charties.

It is supposed to be "Smile Cookies", right?
How come I got this?

Restaurant: Boathouse in Port Moody's Rocky Point Park

On my birthday and our wedding anniversary, even though I had a fever, we went to Boathouse Restaurant for dinner.  I was really looking forward to this dinner because I have never been to this restaurant and I had a birthday coupon to use.

It was a sunny afternoon around the dock in Port Moody.  The restaurant was busy already at 5:30 in the afternoon. It was summer after all.
The waitress was very friendly and gave good service.  She constantly said, "Happy Birthday" and brought the kids meal menu to us.

I wanted to try their steak and seafood barbecue stick, so we order couple of them.
They were the best steaks we have tried recently!  The steaks were fresh, soft and tender.
After the bite, it was like chewing soft chicken.  They were delicious!!

Boathouse restaurant steak

The kids meal was so very good.  However, the celery stick did not interest my kids....haha.
It was too big, and I don't the kids like the celery sticks.

The adult meals came with free bread and butter.  Those were great as well!!

boathouse restaurant seafood stick with steak

The birthday person gets the steak free! Also, I got a small birthday cake with sparkles as a "surprise".
It was rather embarrassing when people are looking at me but I did like the cake.

We really enjoyed the experience there and will definitely go back again!

Restaurant: Pho Sen in Coquitlam, BC

We went to this restaurant early in the summer in July but never bother to blog about it because we did not find this Pho restaurant exceptional.  It is better than some but not good enough.
The restaurant is new but the service is not there at all.  We needed extra plate and I ended up picking them up myself.  There was no customer there but the waitress was not paying attention.

Pho Sen coquitlam bc

The noodle we ordered should include beef tendon.  Well, we don't see tendons anywhere.  (only couple of small pieces at the bottom.)  The spring rolls were huge but with small shrimps inside.  Most of the rolls is just noodles.  The pricing is kind of high for Pho...

We will probably not come back to this restaurant....

Seals in the Harbor in Rocky Point Park in Port Moody, BC

We went to Rocky Point Park in Port Moody to take a walk and try to teach my son how to fly a kite.
When we are taking a walk on the dock, we saw a couple of seals swimming and lingering around.  They did not mind the people and boats at all, and just tried to find their food.

seals in rocky point park port moody british columbia

This is not the first time they show up around this park.  I think they come around summer time every year.

Restaurant: The Mexican (Downtown Vancouver)

I actually purchased a Living Social deal for a Spanish restaurant a year ago and never went, so I decided to go before the deal expires.  The funny thing is that the Spanish restaurant closed down and it turned into a Mexican restaurant.  Since the deal still works, we decided to give it a try as it is the first time we go into a real Mexican restaurant.

They renovated the restaurant so it looked new.  (We went when they opened at 5 in the summer.  They open till late.)  I was pleased with the greeting and attitude of the waiter right off the bat.  After ordering, he brought us free Mexican chips and sauce.

The Mexican Restaurant Vancouver free chips and sauce

For our first dish, we ordered Nachos.  I have never seen such a big dish before (well, I don't go to Mexican so I would not know.)  However, the amount of nachos is huge.  The sauce and nachos taste sooooo good.  The Avocado sauce is just simply amazing.

The Mexican Vancouver Large Nacho with Avocado sauce

Then, we ordered some burritos:

The Mexican Vancouver downtown burrito

The burritos are absolutely humongous.  I never expected this because all the burritos I buy in the fast food restaurants are all small.  This is 3 times their sizes.  We were really really full by now.

Mexican vancouver burrito cut

At last, we get to choose 4 kinds of tacos!  The size is small but we enjoy choosing different flavors.

These taste absolutely amazing.  I would definitely recommend this restaurant to people who don't eat Mexican often.  For their portion, I think the prices are reasonable.  The service was excellent.

Starbucks Ice Cream: Caramel Macchiato and Mocha Frappuccino

I am not sure if they sell this in Canada yet, but I don't see this around my neighborhood.
I found these at Fred Meyer at the States, and they taste great!!  I think it was 2 for 5 dollars.
This kind of deal will never exist in Canada anyways.
They sure have the varieties in USA.

Starbucks Ice Cream Caramel Macchiato and Mocha Frappuccino

I want to try more flavors if they have them!

Barbie Basics

We found a great deal for Barbies at Fred Meyer last month!
I think it was like 5 dollars for a Barbie Basics, not sure if I remembered correctly.

Barbie Basics

This is for my wife's collection.

Gap with Junk Food Kids Clothing Collaboration

Gap has partnered with American clothing brand Junk Food to produce several super hero series clothes for kids.  We found a few cute superman and batman top and jeans last month and bought it for my son.

gap with Junk Food Superman kids

The Superman shirt has a detachable cape, which is great for boys. haha

Gap Junk food superman kids cape

batman jeans cool junk food gap

The Junk Food Batman jeans are really cool, too!!

gap junk food kids batman jeans

I find it pricy but the design is great for kids.

10 Days of Fever...Worst Cold Ever?

I have not been able to update my blog because I have been down with a terrible cold for two weeks.

Two weekends ago, it started with minor coughing and fever, but it soon turns into full blown coughing and high fever that doesn't really go away.  Sure, it goes away when I take medicines but comes back in two hours or when I am in work.  High fever is not the worst thing, I had trouble breathing the whole week and I was wondering why...

My father who was a pharmacist suggested that I had a lung infection that is causing all the never ending fever and breathing problems.  He gave me 5 days of supply of antibiotics and surely, it started working the first pill I took.  It is interesting because I saw my regular family doctor and she did not find anything wrong.

Now, I am just trying to recover through my 3rd weekend.  10 Days of fever is my personal record that I think not many people have experience with that either.  The fever is not fun.  I have cold 3 times a year with bad coughing all the time but this is a first.  Non-stop 2 months coughing is not fun either.  Your whole body aches and you can't sleep with the coughs.

I am hoping that my son does not bring more new viruses home before end of year....I wish...

Hey's Luggage: X Nations and Journey (25th Anniversary)

Hey's is celebrating their 25th Anniversary for producing luggage sets and technologies. 
I have heard that their luggages are the lightest in the world with good qualities.
(graphic design with German engineering and Japanese wheels)

I have never tried their products but I like their looks and design from outside, so I decided to get a couple of them for this year's trips. I got one carry-on from series, X Nations and one more from series, Journey.  I liked the lightness and designs, and I just hope that they hold up and last.

Those two luggage are very very light indeed.  The big luggage came with a 25th anniversary tag and TSA lock and four wheels.  The small luggage is super light and came with Canada design.  You can choose from 30 countries' flags (some are to be produced because it is new.)

I hope these can be my durable travel buddies.

Giant Miffy Plush

I did not think Miffy, a character from Netherland, is popular here.  (It is very popular in Japan and Europe. They have merchandise for Miffy for everything...just like Mickey Mouse.)

I saw this Miffy in Lougheed mall, and they were doing some kind of story time event for kids.

Miffy plush toy in Lougheed Mall, Burnaby, Canada

I just found it interesting because I have never seen any kind of Miffy products here and here it is....

Hello Kitty Corner in Toys R Us

Hello Kitty is getting more and more popular in North America with Mega Bloks producing merchandise for it.  Toys R Us even got a special corner to sell the new Hello Kitty line of products.

Hello Kitty in Toys R Us Canada

These are really cute and looked like a must get if you have little girls in your families.
(Pardon my bad cell phone pictures....kind of blurry.)

Tim Horton's New Collaboration with Coldstone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery has been in the United States for over 20 years, but they had no presence in BC, Canada.  Tim Horton's has just teamed up with Cold Stone to bring their premium customized ice cream into BC.  I had a buy 1 get 1 free coupon from the internet and tried it with my wife and kids last weekend.

cold stone creamery blueberry strawberry ice cream in Tim Horton's

The taste is great!  The blueberries were sweet and fresh.  The Tim Horton's staff were performing tricks in front of customers.  (Well, he did not feel like doing the stunts in front of me....chucking ice creams....but he did it in front of ladies.)  The cost is actually cheaper than comparable shops like Marble Slabs.

I would definitely go back again.  Because they need larger store space for this kind of collaboration, they only have this in Metrotown in Burnaby and near Coquitlam Cenre.

I can't wait to try more flavors.

Handcraft for Parents and Kids: Itsy Bitsy Spider on Web

For parents with kids and wondering what handcrafts can be good entertaining decoration/toy, here is another fresh idea: Cute spiders on web. (see the picture below):

Itsy Bitsy Spider handcrafts with web cute handcrafts for parents and kids

It is really simple to make, and all the material you see from the picture can be found at local dollar stores or handcraft stores.  The spider head and legs are just colored furry balls and furry wires you can find in packs.  The web is just thick thread you can find in the stores.  Basically, any thick thread can be weaved into webs.

The cute round eyes can be found in a pack for a dollar in the dollar stores as well.  They are common for kids' handcrafts.  Now, I know that a spider should have 8 legs, so you can add more legs if you want.  (My wife chose to make only 6 legs.

We hang this on the wall and my kids love this.  Easy Itsy Bitsy Spider handcrafts!

Purina: Frosty Paws Dog Ice Cream

Summer is hot even for my two little chihuahuas.  I found a tub of doggie ice cream in Target.
It is made by Purina, called "Frosty Paws".  My dogs love ice cream, and they love this one.
I found this one at the ice cream section of Target store.  I was amazed that they actually have this product for dogs in Target.  It cost about 4.5 dollars plus tax.

purina frosty paws

Pier 1 Import Coquitlam Closed For Fire Alarm

Pier 1 Import had a very good coupon today, so we decided to drive to Coquitlam to take a look.
When we arrived, they already closed the store and ready to go home at 7 pm because they have a fire alarm.
There was no fire anywhere nearby!  The staff just wanted to go home....

They are supposed to open till 9 pm.  I think the staff just wants to go home early on a sunny day.
I understand that but this is not fair or customer friendly.  I guess they don't want the business...

Why Doesn't Extreme Couponing Work In Canada

Recently, the TLC program, "Extreme Couponing" has been very popular with people buying thousands of dollars of groceries, but with the use of coupons, reducing their bills to a few dollars.  There was one episode which the store actually paid 44 dollars back to the shopper!!!

This type of "Extreme Couponing" will never work in Canada.

-First of all, the program shows that many stores in US will double or triple the coupons with the use of membership cards at check out.  This will not happen in Canada.  I have not heard any store doing that and Canadian stores really avoids these couponing business.

-Coupon stacking for same product is not accepted anywhere in Canada with the exception of London Drugs and even they are getting really picky about terms, dates and conditions stated on the coupons.  Some Walmarts in BC won't even accept printed coupons (this is the exact opposite of what we see in the tv show.)

-Things are a lot more expensive in Canada for the same ordinary products.  However, the coupons only offers little discounts like 50 cents or 1 dollar.  You will hardly get things free never mind getting "paid" money back.  haha.  You wish!!!
These people with huge stock rooms or garages shows the camera that they get all the diaper (20 dollars) and detergents, deordorant, cans, medicines.  Okay, you can get small items free but you can never get diapers free in Canada.

-Do they really need those items which will last them 100 life times?  No.  It is a waste and they will expire anyways.  A couple was buying 150 packs of pain reliever because they actually "earn" money by taken those away. What happen if other people need to buy it urgently?

-I think if these people don't need the items, they should donate them.

I don't know how American grocery shops stay in business...

Trader Joe's Scallop Bites

The other day, we saw this box of "Scallop Bites" in Trader Joe's on sale.

It looked really delicious so we bought this out of curiosity.

Trader Joe's Scallop Bites

The material is like quiche or baked goods.  They were very crispy after you put them in the oven.
Actually, this turned out quite good!!

KFC USA: Amazing American Pricing and A&W USA

Again, I am amazed at American pricing at their KFC when I visited in July 2011.
The KFC in Canada is sometimes set up with Taco Bell, but in the States, they come with A&W.
(funny combination if you are from Canada...the two restaurants have different images for us.)

KFC USA with A&W

I was also amazed by the different variety of menu items they offer and the volume.
(much better than Canada's)  They also have 5 dollar menu set which includes, 2 pieces of chicken, fries and a drink and a biscuit!!.  It would probably cost at least 7 dollars in Canada.

KFC USA 5 dollar set with fries and biscuit and drink

We were very full at the end.  (by the way, Canada cancelled all biscuit with combo ten years ago.) cheapo...

haha...I also liked this A&W root beer machine.  (and they have diet root beer!!)
haha...

Local Sightseeing BC: Steveston Village in Richmond, BC

I haven't been to Steveston for 15 years, so I decided to bring my wife there for a walk on a nice Monday.
The weather was gorgeous but there was no fisherman's market on the dock because it was not a weekend.
They only come out on a weekend and hundreds of visitors will come out to buy fish from the boats.

Restaurants beside Steveston dock bc

From the dock, you can see all the fishing boats and on the side, there is a cannery that people can see how they made cans.  In the weekend, you can only find parking in designated paid parking lots, but in the weekdays, there are street parking near the dock.  It is easy to walk around this village because it has only a 3 block radius.

Steveston, richmond bc salmon prawn fish and chips

We went to Salmon City, a restaurant by the dock for Salmon fish and chips and prawn fish and chips.
The portions are absolutely huge with lots of fries.  We had to pack them up and eat them the next meal.
The price is around 15 for two pieces of Salmon which is standard for restaurant fish and chips.  I know there are cheaper places but not near any docks.

orange cranberry scone

We also passed by a local coffee shop and bought their orange cranberry scone.
In the weekdays, this feels like a nice retirement fishing village.  The mood is very slow and relaxing and quiet.
It does not feel like a busy waterfront like downtown beaches or Kitsilano.

octopus, scallop sashimi, baby clams, oysters

We also found a local Japanese seafood store, which sells all kinds of seafood and sashimi including octopus, scallops and fresh oysters. (you cannot usually find it in other places.)
We enjoyed a really nice sunny relaxing walk around the town....being a local British Columbia tourist.
We enjoyed a good big seafood dinner that day as well!!

Restaurant Review: Burger Heaven

Two weeks ago, during a cold summer day, we went to Burger Heaven again in New Westminster, BC.
(Summer arrived really late this year at the end of July.  When I went in late June, it was freezing.)

Burger Heaven usually gives out coupons in the newspaper but not as good as before.
The coupon before is buy 1 get 1 free for entree.  Now, the condition is buy 1 get 1 free with two drinks.
Heck, restaurant drinks are expensive, so that is pure profit, they are not losing money and it is not really discount.
Anyways, we enjoyed the food and the wonderful burgers before, so we went again.
This time, we ordered Teriyaki chicken burger and beef mozzarella mushroom burger.
Their service really depends on the person and time.  If you get a guy to serve you, you can be more polite than the guy.  I remember 4 years ago, we really got friendly service from other waitresses.

Their burger and sauces are absolutely amazing. 

Burger Heaven in New Westminster: Teriyaki burger and beef mushroom

The sauces are better than many other restaurants I tasted including White spot (just bad burgers.)
If we are buying a 10 to 15 dollar burger, we want good burgers, not A&W level burgers.

We went home colder than we began that day because we sat outside and coughing. haha

2011 BC Scandinavian Festival in Burnaby

The Scandinavian Festival this year invited Japan as guest country for 2011.
In this event, 5 Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark) and 1 guest country will display their culture and put on various performances from their culture and country.
For example, Japanese dance group performed a Japanese Taiko dance (It is actually Okinawan.)  Now, don't ask me what is the difference between Okinawan culture and Japanese culture.  It is a long topic.  The difference has historical and geographical reasons.  It is historically heavily influence by Japan, so now it is more like a regional culture within the Japanese culture.
We both love the Okinawan dance music!  It gave very traditional tribal beats and moved our senses.
Okinawa: The History of an Island People

Japanese Okinawan drum dance

They also had a Viking Village section displaying how people lived 1000 years ago in that region.
It is interesting to see but with two small babies, we weren't getting any learning done.
In each nation's section, they had shop vendor which sells food, merchandizes, handcrafts....
They also had kids toys and free flags and pins.

Viking tents scandinavian festival

hand made kids safe paint toy train

I bought a hand made safe dye toy train.  Well, I guess I had to trust the old couple that this is really safe.
They don't have this kind of hand crafted toys, so we were glad that they had them.

viking keychain and pins

I also got some pins and a viking keychain for souvenirs. Just a part of my big junk collections.
Maybe I will go there next year as well...

Toys R Us Canada: 2011 Father's Day Lego Car Event

Toys R Us Canada held a Lego event for Father's Day this year as they held one for the Mother's Day.

This time, fathers get to make Lego racing cars with their sons and daughters at this event.
We went with our kids in June. (this post is late.)
The instructions for this car was very easy as it is a small car and took only 3 minutes to build.
(Unlike the mother's day flower...it was very complex.)

2011 father's day event toys r us Lego racing car

The only special parts you have to obtain are the tires parts...
It is nice that they have this type of free events to promote their stores and products.
Of course, most people would end up buying things for the kids but the kids also take away a small free Lego.

My son could not wait around for the events to start but he did enjoy building this car...

Trader Joe's Calbee Snack Salad Snapea Crisps

Japanese people love "mame", meaning peas and beans.
For breakfast, they have "natto", or "sticky soy beans".
For snack, they have "edamame", a kind of refresh pea, which you just peel the skin and eat what is inside.
They also have all kinds of snack peas.
In the weekend, we found a kind of "mame" in Trader Joe's and we were surprised.
We bought it and tried it at home.  It became one of my wife's favorite snack!!

Trader Joe's Snapea Crisps baked original by Calbee

I think it is like a baked "chips" type of snack that simulate the taste and shape of a "mame" or "peas".
This is a good snack if you like Oriental snacks and peas and Trader Joe's are close by.

2011 Strawberry U-Pick in Richmond, BC

Because of the cold bad weather of the spring in BC, the strawberry crop is 6 weeks late this year and is still ripening.  I saw the news saying that the strawberry might be very sweet this year, so we went to W&A Farm in Richmond, BC right away to see if it is true.

6 pounds of strawberries BC local

It was really true!!  The strawberries were sooooo sweet!  My son and my wife love strawberry and really enjoyed them.  They were indeed sweet and we U-picked them.

The funny thing is that my co-worker went after I went and said the batch was sour.
Strange...maybe the earlier batch were better?  Therefore, my co-workers don't believe me now. haha

I wonder how the blueberries will be this year...

McDonald's Canada: McRib Combo

So, McDonald's is promoting their McRib combo.  Of course, we went to try it.
They taste it not bad with a long, larger size than their usual burger.
The meat also taste a little better, but not sure if it is real "rib meat".

McDonald's McRib Combo

However, is it really worth 8 dollars for this combo....not really.
McDonald's Canada is still over charging us by almost 50 percent comparing to the states.
If I am paying 8 dollars for McDonald's, I might as well go to a restaurant to make sure I get better quality food.

McDonald's USA: Jalapeno Cheddar McChicken and Vanilla Shake

I love the Jalapeno Cheddar McChicken in the States and so we tried it again.

McCafe Vanilla shake, Jalapeno McChicken, Sweet Chili sauce

We also loved their vanilla shake and all the sauces, which are available in america.
Vanilla shake is not as sweet as the chocolate shake and taste refreshing.

We don't have much choices in Canada for sauces,but apparently, they have more than 12 choices in sauces.
(makes me jealous)
The sweet chili is so far my favorite.  I have to try the others as well.

Trader Joe's Blueberry and Pomegranate Green Tea

We tried Trader Joe's new Blueberry and Pomegranate Green Tea.
It is pretty good with a graceful taste of blueberry and pomegranate.
I think it is particularly good if you are not used to the traditional green tea.

blueberry pomegranate green tea and chunky salsa and tapenade

We also bought chunky salsa and their tapenade.
Both of them are fantastic and delicious.

Restaurant: Q4 Ristorante in Vancouver

We went to a nice Italian Restaurant in Vancouver near the Kitsilano area.
It was our first time going to a good Italian restaurant.  It was hard to enjoy the whole meal with a baby because we have to take turns holding the baby.  However, we did enjoy the delicious food!
(This was for Mother's Day dinner for my wife.  I didn't have a chance to upload till now.)

First, we had carpaccio carciofi.
As described on the menu: Shaved beef tenderloin with a lemon and artichoke aioli garnished with asiago chips.  This is an absolutely amazing dish for us.

Then, we had an Italiano Pizza.
As described in the menu:  Parma prosciutto, local arugula and shaved parmigiano reggiano

The ham is just too delicious.  I really enjoyed the pizza.  I would have enjoyed more if the baby wasn't hyper active. haha.

Then, we tried Capellini con Gamberi...Angel hair noodle with shrimp.
As described in the menu:  Angel hair pasta with prawns, wild boar bacon, cherry tomatoes, onions, extra virgin olive oil, fresh thyme and parsley topped with cranberries.

This was the one of the best Italian noodle I have tried.  It was nothing I have tried before.  (of course, I don't dine out for Italian that much.)

At last, we ordered to try their tiramisu cake:

I thought it would be a ordered in or prepared tiramisu cake they have but it wasn't.
It was made and nice decorated by hand.  I had to say I was impressed.

This was a high end restaurant with great service.  I would try again if I had a chance.